Trolley-pole controller.



I i PATBNTED MAR.10, 1908, -G. R. TRAXLER &E. B. LINEBAQK.

. TROLLEY POLE CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED APRl.16,1907.

I 7Ii VI/II/WIII/II/IIII,

UNITED STATES PA EN OFFICE.

CI'SCO R. TRAXLER AND EDWARD E. LINEBAGK, OF WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA.

TBOLLEY-POLE GONTROLLER.

Specification of Lettersi'Iatent.

Patented March 10, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Crsoo R. TRAXLER and EDWARD E. LINEBACK, citizens of the United States, residing at Winston Salem, in the county of Forsyth and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Pole Controllers; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to trolley pole controller-s.

It has for its object to provide'a device which in the event of the trolley jumping the wire will retract the trolley and its-pole below theplane of the cross wires and stays and other parts of the overhead structure to avoid damage thereto, and in which the retractor will be brought into play after the trolley pole cord has been drawn taut sothat the retracting power or force will be gradually applied thus avoiding sudden pulling or jerking on the cord which if permitted would tend to snap or break the cord; also in which the constructionmay be composed of the minimum number of parts, simple in construction, inexpensive to construct and apply, efficient in action, and not liable to get out of working order. I

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear the invention comprises a weight attached to the trolley pole cord, a suitable guide for the weight in its vertical movements, and a seat for sustaining the weight until bodily moved therefrom by tension on the trolley pole cord whereupon the weight may exert itself to retract the In its more specific form it comprises a tube having in its wall a longitudinally disposed slot with which communicates a laterally disposed slot, anda weight fitted in the tube and connected with the trolley pole cord and provided with a laterally extending projection or pin which works in the longitudlnally disposed slot of the tube and may be shifted into the laterally disposed slot and rest upon the bottom wall thereof which will constitute a seat to hold the weight in its elevated position until moved therefrom poleand its. trolley below the .plane of the trolley wire..

. by tension on the trolley pole cord when'the trolley leaves its wire whereupon the lateral pin or rojection will be drawn into the longitudinally disposed slot so that the weight may descend and pull down the trolley pole so as to carry the trolley below the plane of the trolley wire.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side view of one end of acar showing our controller applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side view of the controller tube showing the weight'elevated and seated, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the same showing the weight in its lowermost position.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a car to the front and rear of which the controller will be applied, it being sufficient to illustrate-it at one I. end as the construction will be the same at both ends. The trolley pole 2 is of-any approved. type and under the control of a spring (not shown) as usual and carries a trol ey 3 for the trolley wire 4 as usual. trated, com rises a tube 5 of any desired lengthand imensions, and-for purposes of illustration is shown as bolted to the projecting ortion of the platform, outside of the dashoard. The tube is formed with a longitudinally disposed slot 8 between the ends of which, at an appropriate point in the length, communicates a laterally dis osed slot 9 which in the form illustrate is disposed obliquely to the longitudinal slot so as to forma secure seat for the weight presently mentioned, thus preventing the weight from being accidentally displaced. The weight is designated by thenumeral 10, which may be of any desiredform in cross section'but is shown as cylindrical. It is rovided witha lateral extension or projection 11 which is shown in the preferred form of an eyebolt, and which extends through the longitudinally disposed slot 8. This eye bolt serves for the attachment of the trolley pole cord 7 to the weight and also for seating the weight on the bottom wall of the laterally disposed slot9 when the-eyebolt ismade to enter that sl ot,-and it also enables the trolley pole cord to be outsideof the tube so as to be within easy access and control of the conductor of the car. While the cord may be attached directly to the eyebolt it is referred to pro vide the cord with snap hoo s 12 so that the cord can be readily detached when the pole and cord are to be shifted from one end to the other of the car.

The controller, in the form illus-- In the normal position of the weight it is in the upper portion of the tube or guide and its lateral pin is in the lateral slot the bottom wall of wh ch constitutes a seat for the weight,

the obliquity of the slot preventing the weigh t from being unseated from any jarring motion of the car, or otherwise. If the trolley jumps the wire the spring of the trolley pole raises the latter which takes up slack in the trolley pole cord and as the rope becomes taut in the further upward movement of the pole a sharppull is exerted on the weight and it is raised so that its lateral pin or bolt moves from the lateral into the longitudinal slot thereby bodily lifting and unseating the weight whereupon it descends in the tube or guide and by reason of it being heavier than the power of the trolley pole spring pulls down the trolley pole until the weight rests at the bottom of the tube or guide. The weight being unseated at a time when the trolley cord is taut there is no sudden dropping of the weight when unseat-ed, but it descends gradually and in opposition to the resistance offered by the trolley ole spring, and consequently there is no liability of snapping or breaking the trolley cord by a sudden dropping of the weight before the cord is under tension. When the trolley is to be replaced in contact with the wire the weight is lifted and reseated in the lateral opening of the tube or guide and the parts are then in position for action at the proper time.

F or the purpose of readily lifting the weight to reseat it, a cord 13 is attached to the eye-bolt 11 and passed through a sheave 14 suspended by a hanger 15, or otherwise, from the upper part of the tube 5, which cord can be grasped by the conductor so as to lift the Weight to position. To insure the quick unseating of the weight when the trolley leaves the line wire, a guard 16 is preferably attached to the tube, preferably about two inches above the slot, as indicated, so that when the trolley pole cord is drawn taut it will engage the guard and thus the eye-bolt will be quickly drawn to the longitudinal slot 8 and the weight permitted to descend. In practice, the guard 16 will preferably be in the form of a rod about of an inch in diameter and 12 inches long. It will prevent the trolley rope from being blown out of proper place when the device is thrown into actlon.

While we have described the tube as constituting the guide, and that is the preferred construction, yet it is to be understood that such is given only as a suitable form of the guide and that changes can be made in the seat by tension on the trolley pole cord, substantially as described.

2. A trolley pole controller, comprising a weight for attachment to a trolley pole cord, a guide for the weight in its vertical movements, a laterally disposed seat on the guide for the weight, and a lateral projection on the Weight to engage said seat, substantially as described.

3. A trolley pole controller, com n'ising a weight for attachment to a trolley pole cord, a tube constituting a guide for the weight, said tube being formed with a longitiulinally extending slot in its wall and a laterally disposed slot in communication therewith, and a laterally extending part on the weight working in said longitudinally extending slot and adapted to be seated in the laterally disposed slot, substantially as described.

4. A trolley pole controller, comprising a weight for attachment to a trolley pole cord, a tube constituting a guide for the weight and formed with a longitudinally extending slot in its wall and a laterally disposed slot in communication therewith, said lateral slot extending obliquely to the longitudinal slot, and a laterally extending part on the weight working in said longitudinal slot and adapted to be seated in the laterally disposed slot, substantially as described.

5. A trolley pole controller, comprising a weight for attachment to a trolley pole cord, a guide for the weight in its vertical movements, a laterally disposed seat on the guide for the weight, a lateral projection on the weight to engage said seat, and a guard for the trolley pole cord to engage to aid in unseating the weight, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa tures in presence of two witnesses.

01800 R. TRAXLER. EDWARD E. LIN EBACK.

Witnesses H. S. LANGLEY, THAYER IRELAND. 

